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Difference between Baptist and Nonnnnn-Denominational

I must agree with Blessedj01 on the hugging. I am a conservative Baptist and I have never seen hugging going on. My mother was Baptist and her dad was a missionary and then Pastor so I was born into the Baptist faith and have never waivered or even checked out any other faiths. We do have baptism by immersion at any age that is up to the person as to when they accept Jesus as their savior. We are more conservative as we have nice music and worship time but we are not dancing in the isles with hands up waving. Our Pastor preaches God's Word and we are a bible based church. I do agree with alot that you must check out the church to see if it is a good fit for you. We do have missionaries and help other countries. I pray you find the right fit for you. God Bless, JoAnn

Most baptists churchs do hug me and your right, it is a big generalization. Some just have a coffee social before service or a greet your neighbors thing. But they all have some kind of attention to fellowship. Of course I rarely ever attend the same church twice. And the kids like me because I let them climb on my truck and honk the horn, lol.

As a truck driver I attend different churches and denominations all over the country. I see non-denominational as a good place for new christain. You get the meat without the fancy stuff. For example it might be a little intimidating to a walk into a baptist church with everybody trying to hug on them or like a pentecostal church where everyone is dancing in the isles and shaking the lights off the fixtures or even a catholic church where you might be the only one who doesn't know when to kneel or how to say the prayers.

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This is true IMO. For myself, a Baptist church is the place to go for the "meat and potatoes" and I'm partial to the no-nonsense style of Baptists.

I totally agree with this! i have been in some baptist church services that seem to be more about the relationship with each other than the actual message being presented. and i have been in pentecostal services that downright scare me because i thought everyone was going into seizures at once. I dont understand why people have to categorize themselves if in the end they just believe in the bible. that is why i choose to be non denominational. i will go to any "label" of a church that teaches sound doctrine.

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I think you are spot on in your line of thinking. Sound doctrine is the key and you will never go wrong with that way of reasoning.

I partially disagree. I believe that Gods word is preached in every denomination, as far as "sound doctrine" goes. As the truth is in Gods word and not the church or its leaders. The only differences I see would be administration of gifts or styles of worship.

If any church or church leader calling themselves christain is preaching anything not in the bible then they are just wrong. Whatever denomination is your personal preference, for whatever reason, may we find it in our hearts to love Gods Word enough to respect all denominations , because they can all be used to glorify the God of truth.

If any church or church leader calling themselves christain is preaching anything not in the bible then they are just wrong. Whatever denomination is your personal preference, for whatever reason, may we find it in our hearts to love Gods Word enough to respect all denominations , because they can all be used to glorify the God of truth.

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I respect it of course, but I'm not sure I'd say that sound doctrine is in every denomination.

follow the money, its why there are so many denominations, if your a Catholic it all goes to one pot, and each denomination has their own heiarchy of paid leadership, the small independent nondenominations are normally seperate from these huge clearing houses of bureaucracy, like big government the bigger they are the more it cost just to keep it running, i can't even imagine the maintenance fees just for one day of any of the big historic denominations........i would imagine they all could stomp out world hunger in a day if they weren't so focussed on their image

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I disagree. Especially when you consider that only 20% of all christains even tithe and that alone makes up the third largest non-profit organization in the U.S.A. This only third after government paid education and health care, and also funds overseas ministries. And 25% of that is the catholic denomination alone. Is it any wonder their so blessed? What we need is more christains that tithe.

I know that, but not every church knows that. Some churches get pretty carried away with their own word. The only way to know though, is to go there. You can't judge solely off "denomination," as some denominations don't apply their denomination doctrine as strictly as others.

"Christians" in the U.S. spend more on DOG FOOD than they give to churches and Christian ministries.

LEVITICUS 27:30 NKJ 30 And all the tithe of the land,whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree,is the Lords. It is holy to the Lord.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:13?14 NKJ 13 Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple,and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? 14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

The money and time you give to Jesus are the best indicators of how much you love Him.

Biblical authorityAutonomy of the local churchPriesthood of the believerTwo ordinances (Believer's Baptism and Communion)Individual soul libertySeparation of Church and StateTwo offices of the church (Pastor and Deacon)Baptist Lifestyle
Many conservative Baptists oppose gambling, alcohol, tobacco, and some prohibit dancing and movies. Especially in areas where Southern Baptists form a majority of the population, the denomination has been successful in imposing its values on the general population &#8211; "dry counties" in the South or the ban on music and dancing in the film Footloose) are examples.Biblical Authority
Authority of the Scriptures or sola scriptura states that the Bible is the only authoritative source of God's truth and any view that cannot be directly tied to a scriptural reference is generally considered to be based on human traditions rather than God's leading. Each person is responsible before God for his or her own understanding of the bible and is encouraged to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.
Biblical inerrancy is also a common position held by Baptists in addition to literal interpretations of the bible and fundamentalist theologies. However, because of the variety allowed under congregational governance, many Baptist churches are neither literalist nor fundamentalist, although most do believe in biblical inerrancy. Even though it is only the Bible that is authoritative, Baptists also cite other works as illustrative of doctrine. One work which is commonly read by Baptists is the allegory Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. This is a position shared by almost all post-Reformation Christian groups, with only a few exceptions (such as Quakers).Priesthood of All Believers
The Baptist position of the priesthood of believers is one column that upholds their belief in religious liberty. Priesthood of all believers removes the hierarchical layers of priests, traditions and authority so that all Christians have equal access to God's revelation of truth through the careful study of the Bible. This is a position shared by all post-reformational Christian groups.Justification by Faith
The doctrine of justification by faith states that it is by faith alone that we receive salvation and not through any works of our own. Baptists place a strong emphasis on the concept of salvation. Baptist theology teaches that humans have been contaminated by the sin of Adam and Eve's rebellion against God and that for this sin we are condemned to damnation. The theology holds that Christ died on the cross to give humans the promise of everlasting life, but that this requires that each individual accept Christ into his life and ask for forgiveness. Nevertheless, the Baptist view of soteriology runs the gamut from Calvinism to Arminianism. Justification by faith is a position shared by all post-reformational Christian groups.Variations in Baptist Belief and Practice
Because of the congregational style of church governance on doctrine, doctrine often varies significantly between one Baptist church and another, especially in the following areas:

Calvinism vs. Arminianism

nature of Law and Gospel

ordination of women

homosexuality

eschatology (end times)

Baptists generally believe in the literal Second Coming of Christ at which time God will sit in judgment and divide humanity between the saved and the lost (the Great White Throne judgment Book of Revelation 20:11) and Christ will sit in judgment of the believers (the Judgment Seat of Christ Second Epistle to the Corinthians 5:10), rewarding them for things done while alive. Amillennialism, dispensationalism, and historic premillennialism stand as the main eschatological views of Baptists, with views such as postmillennialism and preterism receiving only scant support.